We are the 15 close friends with most of us having met whilst working at summer camp in America. Slightly weird, a little bit crazy and excited for a challenge, we are looking forward to doing something for two of our closest friends.
Fundraising pageSiobhan and Clodagh Laffey were diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease in August 2014. They had to travel to Germany to be tested as Ireland did not have the necessary tests to accurately diagnose this disease. The tests came back positive but the girls were still unable to receive treatment in Ireland so they had to rely on the clinic in Germany to treat their disease. Unfortunately because it was not diagnosed in Ireland, their health insurance does not cover any costs for their treatment. Chronic Lyme Disease is a multi-systemic , debilitating, complex disease. It is an invisible chronic illness. It is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and you can become infected if a tick that carries the bacteria bites you. The bacteria attacks all of the organ systems. Chronic Lyme Disease is called the "Great Imitator" and is often misdiagnosed as other conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinsons. Reliable diagnostic tests are not readily available in a lot of countries so people are often misdiagnosed during the early stages of Lyme Disease which leads them to develop Chronic Lyme Disease, as what happened with Clodagh and Siobhán. Treatment includes antibiotics and supplements (the girls take over 50 tablets a day each) as well as additional therapies that work on building up and repairing the immune system. The length of treatment depends on the severity and stage of the diagnosis. Their Symptoms include: - Severe physical symptoms such as joint and muscle pain - Mild encephalopathy that causes cognitive impairments such as lack of concentration, memory impairments, difficulty following conversations, processing information, word retrieval etc. - Inflammation processes of the entire nervous system - Chronic Pain - Mental Tiredness - Chronic Exhaustion - Insomnia - Migraines
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The National Three Peaks Challenge takes in the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, often in 24 hours.